Spiteri's birthday tribute to McErlaine

The guitarist collapsed suddenly in September (09) and underwent an operation in London to relieve pressure on his brain.

He spent a month in an intensive care unit and was finally taken off a life support machine last month (Oct09) - and now his recovery is progressing even further.

Spiteri told fans the good news at a show in Scotland at the weekend (31Oct09) - and urged them to sing a chorus of Happy Birthday in honour of McErlaine, who turned 41 on Saturday.

She told the crowd, "Ally is now moving his arms and legs around, which is brilliant. I'm going to see him in hospital next week. He is still as cheeky as ever. Today is his birthday and he would love it if you could all sing Happy Birthday to him."